Samsung

Have you noticed the Google "pill" widget on the Pixel launcher doesn't bear much resemblance to the traditional search box? Well, it looks like Google is changing that. Several users have noticed a new search box design popping up on their devices. It's curvier and cleaner looking.

When the Galaxy Note7 was discontinued, Samsung lost a big chunk of change and consumers lost the opportunity to buy that really lovely Blue Coral version of the phone. Blue Coral isn't dead, though. After announcing a Blue Coral version of the Galaxy S7 Edge in Asia, Samsung now confirms it's coming to the US too.

It's rare for our David Ruddock to call anything "absolutely stunning," let alone a blue and slightly orange phone of all things, but Samsung managed to extract that statement out of him when he had some hands-on with the Galaxy Note 7 (RIP). And David wasn't the only one to think that. So what's Samsung to do with this splendidly concocted color now that it can't market and sell it on the Note 7? Well, it's releasing it for its other flagship device, the Galaxy S7 Edge.

Samsung posted its earnings for Q3 2016, and it is not as pleasant as it was three months ago. For the period ending September 30, 2016, total revenue was 47.82 trillion KRW ($42.01 billion USD), a decrease of 3.87 trillion KRW ($4.57 billion USD) from this point last year. Without going too much further into the financial details (I get excited about financial results, okay?), we can all guess the reason for the decline. The IT & Mobile Communication Division is what dragged Samsung down, but its other divisions showed some good results. The Consumer Electronics Division's favorable sales in SUHD TVs and home appliances are especially of note in the report.

Of the different mobile payment solutions, Samsung Pay may as well be one of the most successful so far at expanding to different countries and implementing new features. After launching in South Korea then quickly following up in the USA (and later Puerto Rico) in 2015, it has come to China, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, and Spain.

These 7 countries will be joined by 3 more before the end of 2016: Malaysia, Russia, and Thailand. Samsung says this will bring the total of countries to 10 in 2016, which leaves a question mark regarding the promised availability of the payment solution in Canada and the UK also by the end of 2016.

Android Pay is most commonly used to pay for things in real life via NFC technology, but from the start Google aimed to make it compatible with online payment systems. That hasn't really caught on, but a new partnership with Visa and MasterCard could help. Not to be left behind, Samsung Pay is also working with MasterCard.

Hey kids, are you ready for another variant of another Samsung Galaxy Tab? *Deafening cheers* Alright, here we go. Today Samsung has announced a new version of the Galaxy Tab A 10.1" for the US Market, but it made one small modification: an added S Pen. Insert mean joke about Samsung having too many S Pens lying around after the Note 7 debacle and nowhere to sell them now.

The new Galaxy Tab A 10.1" has much of the same specs of the original tablet that was announced back in May in Germany and marketed for families with children. Like the name suggests, the screen is a 10.1" TFT LCD with a 1920 x 1200 resolution.

As part of Samsung's continued efforts to make amends with disappointed customers, the company is offering a big incentive to South Korean Note7 owners to stick with the brand. Those who exchange a defective Note7 for a Galaxy S7 will be able to trade the S7 in and get a Note8 or S8 when those phones come out; the total price paid by the customers will be half of the price of the S7 model they choose, with no charge for upgrading.

Though Samsung's Note7 is now officially off shelves, the headaches are not yet over. Beyond the continued, embarrassing efforts to keep the phones off of planes and the expected loss of over $3 billion, Samsung will now be dealing with legal troubles related to the Note7 as well. Consumers in the United States and South Korea have just announced their intent to file class action lawsuits.

If you didn't get the message the first, second, or third time, you should really exchange your Note7. In the last bullet to Samsung's reputation, the US Department of Transportation banned carrying a Note7 onto flights. While there is no questioning that the Note7 is dangerous, having to leave your phone behind isn't ideal. Thankfully, Samsung is in the process of setting up Note7 exchange stations at airports worldwide.